California fires prompt air quality advisory for Bay Area this weekend

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Smoke is starting to blow into the Bay Area from the Mendocino Complex Fires prompting an air quality advisory for the weekend. The smoke is already evident in the East Bay Hills obscuring Mt. Diablo for much of the afternoon.

The best air quality monitor on Mt. Diablo might be Ruggie VanMuijen, a cyclist who rides the slopes every day. He said, "There has been low visibility and from a distance you can tell there's smoke in the air. And riding up and down the mountain you can sense a thicker quality to the air. Sure enough I can smell the smoke."

The winds are shifting and smoke is blowing in from a distant fire, specifically the Mendocino Complex Fires. Ralph Bormann with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said, "The air district has issued an advisory for smoke. We want to let people know there may be some impact from that smoke. "

Borrmann said if you can smell the smoke then you're breathing it in. He advises moving indoors and keeping air conditioners set to recirculate air.

The smoke is not expected to have a high level of particulates. It will be most evident higher up in the hills with less smoke expected this weekend at ground level. Areas of Sonoma, Napa, and Contra Costa Counties are most likely to be affected.Some say they see the smoke as a warning. Cuclist Davis Spath said "If you look out at Mt. Diablo and all that fuel around you, you feel a little nervous about it. It's a reminder we are also vulnerable. "